Johnnie To produced tale about the investigation of the murders of triad members and how three seemingly unconnected characters, cop, killer and reporter all intertwine.Weakly directed tale suffers from trying too hard to be hip and happening (stories with in stories and flashbacks and dreams all mix). However the real problem is the performances which are flat and occasionally really bad. They are the sort of thing that make this hard to believe since you stop thinking of this as something happening before you and instead you see it as people play acting. The idea is pretty good, the execution isn't.

What does a cop, a comic book writer and a serial killer have in common? A lot, it seems. In this very quirky HK film, the lives of 3 people who hail from such diverse background intertwine through their destiny and their heart.Jordan Chan is magnificent as the bad-beat oppressed reporter who ekes out a living through writing comic series for a newspaper. He has a real talent in churning out pulp hits, but instead of a better working condition, he gets rewarded with more assignments and deadlines. So he needs some inspiration. Everytime his comics get published, it is invariably executed in exact same style. It would have been a real credit to his imagination, except that he is writing gangland murder stories over here. On the other hand, when he lacks the inspiration to continue in some of his murder series, the serial killer will act first to inspire him. Involved in this intriguing setup is the detective played by Sunny Chan, ever so resourceful and suave. Invariably fingers are being pointed at the comic writer, but he believes the comic writer is innocent. In his quest to solve the mystery, he finds out that he himself has more than just sympathy for this serial killer.Such a premise is very refreshing against the backdrop of tired old formulas from HK triad stories. It is a credit to the director that he just manages to steer it in control and keep intrigue going, when it threatens to fizzle out when the story-becomes-murder plot gets repetitive. Rating : 7.3